Hoenn Adventures: Part 2
by kskandury
Summary: This story chronicles the adventures of Brendan and May through Hoenn and is a continuation of the Original story written by Gaht. This story is not designed to plagiarize, only build and complete an existing (an amazing 10/10) piece of literature. (Link to original: /s/11506999/1/Hoenn-Adventures). If you haven't read the original story, please do that.
1. Chapter 51: The Awakening

The Awakening

 **Author's Note: Hey everyone! So this is a pretty short chapter but I made it short because it is only supposed to be a turning point in the previous edition of the story published by Gaht (please, please, please read that story first not only because it is good but because this story will make NO sense unless you read that gorgeous work of art). Hope you enjoy** **the story!**

May was ecstatic. She had just received her third contest ribbon, putting her at a remarkable 75% success rate. Brendan ran into the green room, lifting her off her feet and nearly ramming her head into the ceiling. May didn't notice. She was laughing like an exhilarated maniac as Brendan spun her around while she dangled freely in his arms. "You won!" Brendan exclaimed. Then his expression twisted like a Kadabra's spoon.

"You know what that means?" May asked, smirking and anticipating a response from Brendan.

"I know what you're thinking May. But not now! Come on, I am _not_ going to go on a victory shopping spree again!" Brendan pleaded.

"Fine, I won't Bren," May said with a compromising and dispirited attitude but perked right up saying "but you'll have to give me something I really really want."

"Deal," Brendan said.

"Then what will the gentleman be giving his lady tonight?" May said, straightening her posture to resemble that of a genteel woman.

Brendan played along: "I'm afraid I cannot answer that my dearest lady else the answer will have no value. Presume that it will most certainly be an unforgettable surprise."

"Then I suppose it shall be my greatest challenge to wait," she replied. Brendan set her down and held her hand. He'd know her for but a few weeks but she'd already shown him a part of himself that he could never have known on his own for fifteen years. May, everything she meant to him and everything that made her the girl of his dreams, could have never happened if he had chosen to stay home that fateful day 4 weeks ago. Though he was a kid, Brendan knew that no one like May existed elsewhere in the world. Someone who stood up for him when his own father would not. Someone who denied Dylan even though he was much better than Brendan. Someone who even let go of her idol, Lisia, because she knew Brendan was much more. He held her shoulders, not minding the sweat, and simply told her what he had always wanted to say "May, thank you. Thank you for—"

 _GROOOOOOO!_ The ground undulated and loosely balanced and unsecured items began to shake as the sound of explosions could be heard in the distance. A gust of blistering air flowed into the room, making the comfortable and celebratory atmosphere a hot mess (pun intended) in no time. Through the sweltering heat, Brendan could feel little pieces of ember and burnt organic material slightly brush and sting his arm. A few screams could be heard and Brendan, fearing the worst would fall upon them, pulled May close and sheltered her.

 _Meanwhile…_

"You fool!" Stephen yelled as Maxie watched in terror as Groudon, the continent Pokémon, tore through the waters of Hoenn on a platform of moving magma; the Pokémon was making a beeline for Sootopolis city. With every foot it landed Groudon shattered any balance the men had and continually forced them to move to the more solid ground.

"I – I just unleashed it. It cannot be so p-powerful. It's going to kill us all if this continues," Maxie stuttered as he became paralyzed with true fear. "I have unleashed a plague on innocents!" he cried as his guilt caused his knees to give way, making him crumple to the ground like a Xerneas with 2 legs.

"It's going to the Cave of Origin," Steven noted. "Something's in there that's begging this tyrant to go there."

"Primal Reversion," Maxie said, his eyes widening as the heat from the sun began to weaken him to the point of collapse.

Stephen quickly pulled out his Pokenav and yelled into it: "Red, Blue, Yellow, Green. I repeat Code Red, Blue, Yellow, Green. Groudon is making its way to Sootopolis city from the East side. ETA: 15 minutes. Mobilize the Elite 4. It is a war for Hoenn now."

 _Elsewhere…_

"Dumb lass!" Archie roared, "You wish to stop the betterment of all Pokémon? Do you wish to see Maxie and his penguins unleash terror on humanity? I thought not. Reviving Kyogre will bring what this Earth so desperately needs: a cleansing of the destructive ambition of man!"

"Archie everyone and everything will die. Kyogre won't help Pokemon or people, it will only create destruction!" Shelly persuaded her leader. A hot gust of air blew into the room; Archie shielded his eyes from the searing wind.

"It is awake," Archie stated. "If Maxie feels his little dinosaur will bring the destructive ambitions of humans to full completion, then I'll show him the true power of KYOGRE!" Archie held up the blue orb. Its aura cracked Kyogre's casing as the Pokemon suddenly became animated, causing the cave to tremor and stalactites to break and fall. Kyogre moved its fins (arms? Wings?) creating massive waves as the water in the cave began to swirl and churn. Red lines began to glow fiercely along its fins and head as the Pokémon bellowed and destroyed the subterranean lake. It curled into a sphere as a blue crystal coating formed around it. In an instant, it was gone. "What are the surface readings?" Archie yelled into his mic. Only static returned.

Archie gripped the mic harder. "A small price to pay for a perfect world."

May and Brendan were still inside the green room, ducking under a dressing table to prevent falling debris from crushing them. May would occasionally shriek from horror as the beauty and happiness that once held their spirits up incinerated before them. Brendan grabbed her hand and pulled her close while using his other hand to send out Gallade. Not a word was said as Gallade instantly used psychic and froze all of the moving pieces and debris in the room, giving them just enough type to dash outside. As soon as they opened the door, however, the heat lashed out at them and dug into their skin, frying them alive as they struggled to stand inferno. "Gah!" May yelled, trying very hard to hold herself up. They looked around and not far off, the legendary red beast Groudon lumbered towards the Sootopolis crater, creating boiling water around it as the ocean begged for mercy as it made every step. "I-Is that… Is that it Bren?"

"That's the one. The continental Pokémon, Groudon" Brendan affirmed. Sirens around

the city blared: "All civilians, relocate indoors immediately. Legendary Pokémon capable of global destruction have been sighted within the region and drastic weather changes may cause heat stroke or death. We repeat: all civilians must relocate indoors immediately!" Brendan kept looking at Groudon. The closer it got to Sootopolis, the stronger its aura became. Heat waves were pulsating from its body, scorching the sea and land around it. "Shit. The fuckin' creature's gonna' try to undergo Primal Reversion isn't it?" Brendan said. "Steven couldn't make it in time," he said, shuddering at the thought. He turned around to make sure May was fine, but she wasn't. Her clothes and hair were drenched in sweat and she was panting heavily, but the glistening sweat made her shine a shine that would outshine Latios' luster Purge; she looked, ironically, as though she had been in the pool for hours. "M-may. A-are you alright. You need to sit. I'm sorry I dragged you outside. I-I shouldn't have been so jumpy to leave the indoors. Here, I'll let —"

"I'm fine Bren. Don't worry about me. Okay? I'll…I'll manage. We'll go through this together. I'm not going to lope inside like a worthless piece of trash knowing that you're going to go out and try to stop the monster. I'll never forgive myself if something were to happen to you. That day when you ran way to go to Lavaridge yourself, I never felt more empty or lost in my life. Bren, I'm never gonna leave that boy who let go his fear of Pokémon and his abusive father because he loved me." The intense heat weakened her, but she looked at him and gained strength like never before. "Brendan," she said, using his real name and not the nickname, "you know why this heat doesn't bother me? Because I look into those stormy gray eyes of yours and I feel the soothing, cool rain washing over me." Brendan smiled and tried miserably to hold back a full grin.

"We have to do something about _that,_ " Brendan said, pointing at the hulking mass of red glowing brighter by the second. "Hopefully, we ca—" _GYAAAAAHHHHH! THWOOOOSH!_ An immense blue and white form emerged out of the sea. Pillars of water erupted out of the sea and began spewing chilly seawater into the sky as a torrential downpour began to swamp the land. The heat, at one point unbearable and infernal, suddenly dissipated, instantly being replaced by a cold, frosty downpour that washed everything away. The creature had an immense, elliptical head with white spots on the top. Its jaws were full of numerous teeth and its fins were like massive hands that were flattened for swimming. Its ferocious red eyes stared at Brendan, and then at Groudon. _GYAAAHHHHH_! It screeched, before diving into the water and sending a massive wave crashing into the city. Lightning flashed brightly, illuminating the entire town and catching the attention of the continent Pokemon, which suddenly roared and pulsated stronger heat waves that evaporated the drowning rain before it hit the ground.

"May, we have to go."

"Where, Bren?" May asked. "The whole of Hoenn is like this. We can't be safe anywhere!" She sniffled, although her tears were either camouflaged by the water dripping down her or evaporated by the heat. "Mom, dad, Caroline… even Steven… they'll all…"

"Nothing will happen to them" Brendan interjected. "I'll make sure of that. The best we can do for them is to stop these beasts with whatever we have, got it? May, follow my lead; I have a plan." "What?" May asked, thoroughly bewildered. "Trust me, after all we've been through, you're going to have to trust me one more time… everything and everyone depends on what we do now."

"Bren, whatever it is, I'm ready."

"We need to release Latios and Latias, _now!_ " "Latios, Latias go!" they screamed as the two legendary Pokémon erupted from their Pokeballs. "Latios, Latias, we need you to take us to Groudon and Kyogre over there. The madness must end now!"

"Understood, get on our backs now and hold on tight. It will take us approximately 5 minutes to reach there," Latios replied telepathically. May struggled to get on Latios, back, which became slippery due to the torrential downpour. Brendan placed his jacket over Latias like a saddle, giving May some grip, before lifting her up so she could get on. He himself swiftly boarded Latios and the two Eon Pokémon left with a deafening _WHOOSH_!. As they gained in altitude, they breached Kyogre's storm clouds and could see the grey mass that had begun to generate flooding all over Hoenn. Yet, there were immense holes in the storm system where burning sunlight and geothermal heat skyrocketed temperatures. Brendan spotted fires erupting in Slateport, Petalburg, and was that… Littleroot? He tried to talk himself out of it, saying that the light was playing tricks on him, but the longer he looked the more convinced he was of the danger that threatened his home. But no matter how much he wanted it, he could not save his family or May's: he needed to defeat the weather tyrants first. May clung desperately to Latias, trying not to look down. "May, uh, are you scared of heights?" Brendan inquired. May, with her eyes closed, nodded. "It's ok, I was scared of Pokemon too. But then I met you, and I faced my fears because I knew I would rather be beaten by wild creatures than to miss the sight of you." May opened her eyes but quickly shut them. "May… look at me. Just look at me and don't worry. I love you and I will jump from here if it means saving you." And May finally opened her eyes. She looked at Brendan, and finally gave her smile: a simple smile, but it was the kind of simple smile that pulled Brendan towards her since the first day.

"We're above Groudon," Latios told Brendan.

"Dive down, circle around them and Sootopolis city; we need to see everything that's going on down there." Latios nodded and rolled left along with Latias as they came down at a steep angle through the clouds and to the Earth below. As they shattered through the cloud layer, lightning from the primordial sea and fires from the desolate land began to lash out and crash all over them. Latias dodged and weaved through the dangers while Latios bulleted straight through the storm and fiery desert at top speed, then each made a wide turn around Sootopolis city crater. Brendan and May could see Groudon, who was considerably stronger now, move closer to the city. But out of the blue, (badun tsss…) Kyogre erupted out of the water and let a surf wave crash over the sides of the Sootopolis crater and onto Groudon, who was weak to water. Groudon belted out a reverberating roar as it began to send his heat and magma into the water around him, solidifying it and creating fresh land that Kyogre could not swim near. Kyogre used hydro-pump and fired a jet-stream of water at Gordon, which used mud-shot to stop the deadly blast of water. Groudon then used hammer arm and hit the water around him, creating massive shockwaves that picked Kyogre up and tossed it back. Kyogre then began rapidly swimming around Groudon, creating an immense vortex which began swallowing the Continent Pokémon. The vortex grew until it began to it collided with the walls of the Sootopolis crater, which shuddered with the force of the Legendary Pokémon.

"What kind of move is that?" May asked Brendan.

"I dunno, I think it's whirlpool but Kyogre's power is so much stronger because it is nearing the Cave of Origin. Normal moves morph and become something destructive and immeasurably powerful in its state. But Groudon isn't just giving up… is it?" It wasn't. Red light spilled through the water that created the vortex and created a translucent bluish-red mixture of terror that swallowed an entire portion of the ocean and was begging to tear down into Sootopolis. Steam began to rise, covering the scene for a while, but the red light grew brighter and stronger, revealing a raging inferno that was churning inside. _GROOOOOOOOO!_ The vortex broke as fire surged outside. A spiraling pillar of fire climbed up as Kyogre was forced away from Groudon. Burnt and beaten tentacruel and magikarp were fleeing for their lives as even Mitotic and Gyrados fled the raw power of the giants.

High above the turmoil, Brendan turned to May and said "May, I want you to stay up here and watch the fight. I don't want you or Latias going anywhere near those monsters yet… it's too dangerous."

"W-What are you going to do?" May asked him immediately.

"Latios and I are going to dive into the action. I'm going to try to distract them and weaken them. I'll do my best to prevent their advance towards Sootopolis. When the time is right I want you to strike both Pokémon with everything you got. But if something happens to me or Latios before you attack, I want you to leave. Don't think about me; think about everyone in Littleroot. Once Groudon and Kyogre have primal power, we'll need to save those who we love most. Just… tell mom that I love her and that I hope she and Steven have a happy life together."

"Why don't we JUST ATTACK TOGETHER?" May spat, enraged that the boy she loved may leave her forever. "Not five minutes ago I said I'll never leave you, but you want me to stay behind and wait again? I understand I'm not the perfect girl and all, but if you really don't want to be with me anymore at least just tell me, Bren!" May said as tears made her eyes sparkle in the sun above the destruction below.

"May, you are the most perfect girl anybody could ask for. I would be an ungrateful bastard and no better than my own father if I ever turned away from you. I ask you to leave not because I don't think you can fight, but because if even the smallest scratch were to fall upon you I couldn't bear it," Brendan said, trying to convince her to stay.

"No, if anything were to happen to _you_ I couldn't bear it either. It's not like you are expendable Bren! I lo-." May quickly argued before she was interrupted.

"But I _am_ May; I _am_ expendable." May looked at him in shock, and even the Eon Pokémon were in disbelief. "May, you told me that you lost Max years ago because of the reckless actions of some punk. You and your parents suffered tremendous pain and I do not want to be a reason for that pain to happen again. My mom loves me, but even if she loses me she will marry Steven and start a new and beautiful life. If anything, _I'm_ the only reason that Norman ever beat her, the only reason she has marks across her body, the only reason that she couldn't live a happy life! If I die, there is no reason to mourn me May" he said, pulling her in for one last kiss. May closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks as she refused to pull away from Brendan as she clung to him as she never had before. Her time with Brendan, from the day he met her inside her house, to the dance they had together, to the crazy places they had been to in the last few days, all flashed before her as he slowly pulled back.

"I'll be back May, and I promise to never leave you again, never to scare you as I am now, and never let your beautiful smile ever leave your face," and with that, Brendan and Latios dove into the infernal blaze and hurruicane below. A single tear flowed past his cheek and into the air.

 **Author's Note: So... I hope that was a ton of fun because here come 20-30 more chapters on the same stuff though in different tone and fashion. Like Gaht, I intend to deviate from the original storyline of the games from time to time although it will be the primary framework for the significant chapters of this story. Please leave honest reviews (nice or mean, I don't care) and I'll do my best to let the fan service and originality flow! See you next Saturday in another post!**


	2. Chapter 52: War for Hoenn

Chapter 52: War for Hoenn

 **Author's Note: So this chapter exists for more of a dramatic and emotional appeal and does not serve the shipping or the ORAS plot all that much its not filler, but t helps to clarify the stakes of the situation and the scope of the conflict as well as the powers of the various characters and Pokémon involved in the conflict to gain control of Hoenn. This chapter will sort of accentuate and elevate the quality of chapters to come and it even has some strong value on its own in my opinion.**

 ** _Chapter 52: War for Hoenn_**

 _"I'll be back May, and I promise to never leave you again, never to scare you as I am now, and never let your beautiful smile ever leave your face," and with that, Brendan and Latios dove into the infernal blaze and hurricane below. A single tear flowed past his cheek and into the air._

* * *

Latios flew in concentric circles, each one with a smaller radius and lower altitude than the last, until the Pokémon and its rider began barreling down on the terrorizing creatures like a spiraling missile. Kyogre and Groudon momentarily halted their battle as each looked up at the object hurtling towards them at jet speeds. "Latios, MEGA EVOLVE!" Brendan screamed as Latios and Brendan became enveloped in a pink sphere, shattering out of it and racing at faster speeds towards the target. "Latios, use Dragon Pulse on Kyogre before using dive and going into the water. We need to give May a fighting chance by diverting these two from Sootopolis." The Eon Pokémon gave a definite nod and raced at high speeds towards Kyogre, which began to throw ice beams at the incoming Pokémon and its rider. "Latios, use agility to dodge the attacks!" Latios quickly maneuvered around the super effective attacks. Brendan tightened his grip as Latios barrel-rolled over one of the beams before flying just inches above the water to avoid the next. "NOW!" Latios began charging up radiant purple energy before releasing it just yards from the abyssal Pokémon. Like a fighter jet strafing its prey, Latios swooped right by Kyogre, firing a ranged surge of energy and raw dragon power to hit the Abyssal dead on. Kyogre was flung back due to the intense power of the attack and was struck, but barely weakened as the Pokémon began to create a water spout on the surface. But before any real damage could be done, Latios rolled over and dove right into the watery depths. Groudon fired up a Precipice Blades and superheated spikes of rock and magma began to rise from the sea floor. Brendan said something, but only bubbles came out. Brendan began to panic, fearing that he wouldn't be able to tell Latios what to do in time. But Latios propelled and evaded the barbeque skewers of death. It built momentum under the seas until Latios shot out of the water **like Lugia in the movie** between Groudon and Kyogre, as the weather Pokémon's gazes followed the Dragon that had erupted out of the water before them. Brendan, soaking wet and chilled, gasped for air and looked below at the raging beasts. Groudon began to boil the water around him while Kyogre created powerful tidal currents. Latios kept climbing fast, avoiding the attacks from the beasts below. Brendan was confused: "How did you know what to do underwater? I-I couldn't say a word?"

"I'm telepathic; you do not have to speak for your command to be known, master," Latios calmly replied

"That's convenient. I wonder why Gallade doesn't do that…? Alright Latios, keep climbing until I tell you to stop. Then we're gonna pull out of the climb and loop down onto Groudon for another strafing run. I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Latios gave an affirmative nod. As they were climbing, an Origin Pulse from Kyogre and a Fire Blast form Groudon chased them, gaining altitude and threatening to mutilate Latios and Brendan. Brendan could feel the heat of the Fire Blast getting closer and gaining strength due to the Drought. "Latios, NOW!" Brendan commanded, and Latios pulled out of the climb and began to once again to target the Pokémon below, bulleting and focusing on the creature. Latios pulled out of the dive right above the water, creating a massive wake as it propelled at incredible speeds. But Groudon saw it coming, and it summoned a Precipice Blades which began rising directly in the path of Latios as it closed in. "Latios, barrel roll to the left and use luster purge!" Brendan yelled, hoping to pull the crazy and improvised move off. The Eon Pokémon slid over to a new course through a roll and narrowly avoided the lethal ground type attack. Latios then began charging up a blinding ball of light, so bright that it began to shine directly into the minds of the people and Pokémon around it, creating confusion and pain the could not be dodged. "Fire!" Latios released the charged ball and both Kyogre and Groudon were off balance and jarred as the ball of light began to eat their senses inside out, ravaging them and sending pain all over their bodies. "Alright! We got a good shot through!" But as the smoke cleared, Groudon and Kyogre seemed to show no signs of slowing or ceasing their efforts to get to Sootopolis, as they fought through the pain and were simply ever more determined to separate Brendan's head from his body. But Latios' attack had held them off for a second, and that was all Brendan needed. "Gallade! Sceptile! Crobat! Let's finish this together!" Brendan called as he released the three Pokémon over the water. Sceptile slid across the water until its superior speed and footing allowed it to run along the currents and massive waves sent by the enormous Weather beasts. Gallade, an agile fighting-psychic type, used its psychic powers and speed to levitate above the frothy waters. Crobat immediately began flying alongside Latios as it was released from the Pokeball; Brendan had the strength in numbers against Groudon and Kyogre. Sceptile was super effective against both enemy Pokémon and resisted their attacks as well. Gallade had no type advantage or weakness, while Crobat was immune to Groudon so long as it kept flying. Brendan formulated a plan that would allay Groudon and Kyogre's onslaught long enough to give May the chance to strike the fainting blow **(Author's note: this is Pokémon; we do not** ** _kill_** **creatures. Actually, I may change that later on. Leave a review depending on what you want)**. "Crobat, go for cross poison on Groudon, then use fly to get outta there quick! Sceptile, use leaf blade buddy! Get in and out quickly because Kyogre's Ice Beam will destroy you if you stay there too long. Gallade, do your best to torment them with Psycho Cut, and use Close Combat if Groudon or Kyogre looks like it might damage one of our buddies, got it?" Brendan knew that commanding four Pokémon all at once would be near impossible, but he knew what had to be done. All three Pokémon wasted no time getting to work. Sceptile gained momentum as its swift feet chopped the waters and reduced the distance between it and the target. Its arms glowed bright green as they absorbed the solar energy from the powerful drought around it. Shifting its footing and drifting across the water, Sceptile oriented itself to pass Kyogre on the parallel to inflict a Leaf Blade cut along the entire length of the Abyssal Pokémon. _GYAAAAAAHHH!_ Kyogre fired repeated ice beams at Sceptile, landing just inches away and freezing the sea into an icy chunk of debris. Brendan keenly watched as Sceptile reached Kyogre with bright green leaf blades on its arms, ready to puncture Kyogre with a super effective attack. And so it did; the Forest Pokémon drifted along the sides of Kyogre, digging both its blades into the side of the Pokémon and dragging them along until it reached the end of its length. Kyogre screamed in pain and dove underneath the waters for cover, lifting its enormous tail as it tilted forward. Brendan saw what was coming, but it was too late. Kyogre's tail rose right underneath Sceptile, lifting the Forest Pokémon tens meters into the air where all it could do was fall. The Abyssal Pokémon emerged from the depths once again and charged a powerful Origin Pulse, enhanced by its proximity to Sootopolis City and the Cave of Origin. "Sceptile GET OUT OF THERE!" Brendan yelled as he watched his first partner fall into the legendary Pokémon's attack. The Origin Pulse hit Sceptile with such force that it pushed the creature onto the Sootopolis crater, heavily damaging it and nearly ending it. The dust cleared, and Sceptile stood determined to fight for its home and its friend, shaken and heaving, but still standing.

Kyogre began picking up speed, charging Sceptile for one last attack that would finish it off. It swam through the waves with a velocity that created tremendous waves that splashed all across the battlefield. The waters around it began to freeze up as Kyogre called on its storms and rain to charge up an immense powerful ice beam to once and for all remove Sceptile from the battlefield. "Sceptile, use agility and try to avoid all attacks. Play defensive!" Brendan commanded and Sceptile immediately understood the game-plan. Sceptile, as weak as it was, began to outmaneuvered Kyogre on the seas by running rapidly along the surface, but the sea was Kyogre's dominion, a fact that Brendan had completely ignored. Kyogre screamed at Sceptile as massive pillars of water shot up all around the Forest Pokemon, leaving it trapped in a deadly cage of powerful water bursts. It quickly changed direction to escape its certain end, but Kyogre easily intercepted its path and fired an ice beam sure to hit its target.

* * *

 _During the same time…_

Crobat broke off from Brendan and his Latios, banking left and lining Groudon in its sights. From its peripheral vision, Groudon could see Crobat closing in, and prepared for a counteroffensive. Finding that the drought was amplifying fire-type attacks, Groudon let go of a Fire Blast. As the attack grew and became a 5-branch attack of fire **(you know that symbol fire blast forms as it nears the target? That one. Google it I guess)** , Crobat expertly managed to fly through the gap between one of the branches of the attack. Its wings were singed and it had minor burns, but it was still airborne. Its arms glowed an intense and royal purple as prepared to sink itself into Groudon with Cross Poison. Crobat landed a hit on the brow of the Continent Pokémon and formed an acidic X that sizzled with toxicity, but the rock-solid hide and reinforced magma and ground that formed its body did not allow Crobat's attack to inflict much real damage. The attack burned through Groudon's defenses slowly by acidifying and dissolving its hide, but it failed to poison the Pokémon. Groudon's eyes became reddened as it reeled from the pain, but it began summoning rocks from the ocean floor and threatened to peg Crobat with a super effective attack from close range. Crobat dodged and weaved the boulders flung at it from all sides until it finally grew tired and its drop in agility reflected in its performance. A rock hit it from the side, flinging the lightweight Pokémon onto Kyogre where it slid off the Pokémon and into the water, its eyes shut. "Return Crobat! You did well. Thank you" Brendan called holding out his Pokeball to retrieve his fallen friend.

* * *

 _Present_

Kyogre's ice beam was no primed for launch, and Sceptile was in no condition to evade it. The scene flashed a brilliant white as the ice beam began spiraling towards Sceptile, creating a path of ice underneath itself as it traveled across the seas to the Forest Pokémon just beyond. The blow could have been lethal. Sceptile closed its eyes.

"Gallade, Protect!" Brendan ordered as a flurry of white and green emerged in front of Sceptile and created a violent and powerful barrier that took the brunt of the ice beam. But the ice beam was no ordinary attack. Gallade struggled to hold the protect up as it began to shake and buckle with the force of the ice beam pressing against it. Sceptile mustered what strength it had to move out of the way as the protect gave way to the ice beam. The sound of shattering could be heard as smoke and a glowing purple shards enveloped the area around Gallade. Although the attack broke through the barrier, Gallade was resistant to Ice-type attacks, and it had plenty of energy left for a counterattack. "Gallade, Close Combat on Kyogre, now!" Gallade's blades glowed a slightly opaque red as they began to store the kinetic fighting power that would rain down on Kyogre in seconds. Gallade rammed into Kyogre with both its hands, pushing the massive Pokémon through the water and shattering its abilities to defend against the rapid punches and kicks to come. Gallade flipped backward and let its pointed feet stab twice into Kyogre as it used the rotational momentum to bring its blades back into a slicing stance. What hit Kyogre next was a series of blows so furious and violent that Giratina would cower before the Blade Pokémon. Gallade began moving its hands at speeds that blurred its motions and create a reddish green haze of motion and energy around Kyogre's side. An orange bubble of concentrated energy began to build around Gallade as it unleashed an unprecedented and ferocious attack on Kyogre; whatever it took, it would not let this terror hurt another person or Pokemon again. After a deafening kick across Kyogre's chin, Gallade finally ended the attack. Close Combat had drastically reduced its stamina and the recoil from the attack had reduced its capacity to survive another hit from Kyogre.

While Brendan and his Pokémon focused on intently on the battle with Kyogre, Groudon seized the opportunity to remove the biggest threat to its rise to power: Brendan. With its power increased by its proximity to the Cave of Origin, Groudon quickly fired a Mud Shot away at the trainer atop the Latios. Latios would not be affected by the attack due to its Levitate ability, but the same could not be said about Brendan. Brendan felt an attack racing towards him, but the time he noticed the Mud Shot, he could feel his end near and turned to look at May. Any hit from this height would knock him down several thousand feet. Latios began to move, sensing Brendan's concern, but the Mud Shot was but a second away, not enough to dodge, not enough time to survive.

"Metagross! Use Flash Cannon!": a familiar voice from the clouds above Kyogre roared as a cyber-sounding "MEEETTAAAAA!" could be heard. Yellow tracers of hot metal fired like machine-gun bullets through the cloud cover and beat back the Mud Shot, creating a fiery explosion that pushed Brendan and Latios out of harm's way and into a concealing smoke. The flash from the collision of the two attacks revealed the silhouette of a tall figure riding a mega-evolved Metagross in the clouds. Stephen emerged from the grey in his signature blue hair and gray suit and was riding his Psychic-Steel Pokémon. "Metagross, Flash Cannon! Again!"

More yellow bullet-like projectiles flew from Metagross as Groudon was pelted with a hail of destruction, causing it to waver and rock on its platform. But the giant red Pokémon remained unhurt for the most part, and spit a tremendous burst of fire and magma into the air, hoping it would rain down on both Brendan and Stephen. As lethal and heavy magma began bombarding avian and surface creature, Metagross and Latios began to move rapidly while turning sharply in certain places, hoping to avoid the certain death that would ensure had one of those deadly eruption particles hit them. As the hot hail dissipated and the threat of being struck by fire right out of the sky decreased, Brendan told Steven to take care of Groudon with his Metagross while he would challenge Kyogre. "There's no need Brendan, I called for backup."

"Backup, what backup?" Brendan implored.

"That backup," Stephen said, pointing to a sea captain atop a Salamance that began glowing and radiating powerful energy. The dragon-flying Pokémon was not alone; three other trainers and their respective Pokémon were on their way to the battle. "I read the legends in the caves, remember? I know what there Pokémon are capable of so I asked the league to help stop them. We have an entire team of Pokémon, Brendan. Just watch us win." And so saying, Steven joined the Elite Four and began a powerful charge against the legendary Pokémon. The Elite Four members were within range of ranged attacks and began firing dragon pulses, shadow balls, aura spheres, and ice beams at the Pokémon, hoping to destroy their abilities to progress into the Cave of Origin. With the support of the league behind him, Brendan and Latios chose to push a daring charge. Brendan knew Groudon to be the more versatile and ferocious of the two, with its multifaceted attacks and its boost by its ability. He noticed many of the league's attacks would either miss or be blocked by Precipice Blades as Groudon had plenty of time to prepare for the incoming shots. Brendan knew exactly how to change that. He and Latios quickly maneuvered behind Groudon's gaze and cunningly decided to bring the Pokémon to its knees. "LATIOS, PSYCHIC!" he yelled as the purple Eon Pokémon began to narrow its eyes and concentrate heavily into the mind of Groudon, threatening to shred its consciousness and neural circuits with its telepathic power. Shadow Balls and Dragon Pulses began to rain down on Groudon as it wailed, barely able to sustain the power and speed of the flurry of destruction that peppered it. Brendan was satisfied with the results, with Groudon out of the way would not be difficult to deal with. But he was tragically wrong. While he and Latios were doing their best to destroy Groudon and erase its threat, they had been forced to stay still in order to maintain enough proximity to Groudon for the Psychic attack to work. Brendan's underestimation of the Abyss Pokémon came to be his fall. Kyogre had used their focus on Groudon as a distraction for it to slip beneath the waves and reappear in a position that gave it a direct shot at Brendan. Its hulking presence emerged from the surface quietly as it stealthily waited to sink the fatal blow into its prey.

* * *

 _Elsewhere_

May was more than ready; she knew that Brendan was about to put Groudon out of action, which would open the window for her to swoop in and deliver the finishing strike as they had planned. She leaned lower on Latias and kept her hand on Gardevoir's Pokeball to initiate the attack; that's when she noticed a blue mass emerged out of the sea unbeknownst to Brendan. As a pale, icy blast began to accumulate around it, she knew what was coming: an ice beam. It would be super effective against Latios and would kill Brendan instantly if not throw him off into the sea hundreds of meters below. Her eyes widened as she opened her mouth to scream; she was going to lose him… forever.

* * *

 _Present_

"Latios, let's finish thi—" _CRRRRCHHHHSSSS_. A bolt of brilliant blue blasted Brendan and Latios, knocking the trainer off his mount and sending him free falling alongside his weak and fainting Pokémon. Brendan, his back facing the sea, could see May on her Latias, far away but coming closer. A shrill scream could be heard over the commotion and fury of battle.

 **Author's Note: A cliffhanger! OK, so that was a very experimental chapter. I'm not sure how much shipping you guys want so I kept the shipping to a minimum here and I decided to have action and commotion control the scene instead. I never wrote such lively pieces before, so pardon my lack of skill in this chapter. If you have any suggestions for characters, plot arcs, or overall suggestions for the development of the story or literary layout (heck, if you feel like this story lacks anything at all) feel free to PM me, I have a solid response rate! Thank you for your time everyone and see you next Saturday!**


	3. Chapter 53: Shipping

**Author's note: So based on a review I got from the last chapter, I see how somebody may lose their interest in a story that's all fight and no feel. I'm going to make changes accordingly: I will now add some real changes to the story's build and will once again do some experimenting to see what you guys do and do not want from the characters and their relations. As evidenced, leave reviews if you want to see change!**

Chapter 53: Recovery

Brendan didn't hit the water. Something moved underneath him, he couldn't see what it was, and it caught him high above the sea and whisked him further from the battle. "May," he weakly said, "tell Mom…": his voice trailed off as his body became too weak to complete thoughts.

 _A Few Hours Later…_

"He's awake ma'am. You may see him now," a nurse politely informed an anxious and teary 15-year old. May sprung up and rushed to Brendan's side. As the door opened, she gasped: Brendan was ostensibly fine. He had no cuts or bandages of any sorts. But he was terribly weak, he could barely keep his eyes open as the pain seemed to crawl up through every passage in his body. But seeing the girl he loved, he couldn't help but give a feeble smile. "Bren!" May exclaimed as she threw herself across Brendan's body, embracing him like he was her only hope: indeed, he was. She immediately pulled back, however, saying "I-I'm sorry. You must be in a lot of pain. D-Did I hurt you?"

"Well, your hugs do feel as good as your kicks May," he joked. And May gave a little giggle through her sobs. "How'd I get… here. Last I remember, I fell of Latios…" Brendan suddenly became tense, his eyebrows knitting together as he asked, "What happened to everyone in Hoenn? To Mom? To your family? To the League?"

"You don't remember what happened?" She gave a little laugh: "It's just like the time you went to the hospital after Torchic's Ember hit you."

"Torchic's Ember, Kyogre's Ice Beam: what's the difference? amirite?" he said, smiling weakly.

"After you fell from Latios," May began, "Steven teleported with Metagross to catch you. Then Gallade teleported to catch Latios. Steven knew he and Metagross needed to lead the fight against the Weather Tyrants, so told me to go get you to a hospital fast. I knew what you'd say about that so I told him that you would want me to go save everyone in Littleroot."

"So you really _do_ know me well," Brendan interjected.

"Well, I wouldn't follow all the way from Littleroot and I certainly wouldn't have bet my life on you if I didn't, Bren." She continued, "Stephen evacuated everyone at Littleroot and took our families to the safe-island on the far-side of Hoenn. He also evacuated all the port cities as well as Sootopolis. He said that ever since he had seen the cave-drawing of Groudon and Kyogre a few weeks ago, he had quick bunkers for the citizens built."

"Does Mom know? About… me?" Brendan inquired.

"Not yet. I've tried to reach her but their communications must be on hold or they must be incredibly busy trying to acclimate to the bunkers and stuff. I mean, it's not exactly paradise in there. Its just supposed to keep citizens safe for a little while," she replied. Brendan nodded.

"Well, if everyone's evacuated, then where are we now?"

"We're on the West End of Hoenn, near Rustborough. Kyogre's storms have created some rain outside but the weather hasn't become _all_ that bad yet. Although, they say that the system could get worse or Groudon's droughts will cause fires to erupt soon."

"How soon?"

"24 hours." A silence followed. "Steven and the league are still fighting the Legendaries. They have only succeeded in preventing them from moving into the Cave of Origin..." her voice trailed off with hopelessness when noticed increased ferocity and energy in Brendan's eyes. "Well, I'm sure nothing bad could have happened yet; I mean, you've only been out for three hours," she said, hoping to make Brendan smile. He didn't, but his expression relaxed, which relaxed May too. Brendan opened his mouth to say something but may put her finger on his lips, quieting him. "All right Mr. HoennHero, enough with the interrogation," she giggled, "How are _you_ feeling?"

"Well, I'm stiff and cold; the ice beam's effects haven't worn off I guess." May looked dejected by his answer.

"Well, I warm up when I see you, May," and with that little statement May's face lit up brighter than Groudon's fire before it became as red as the sunset. Brendan laughed, "You still look so beautiful when you blush," causing May to become redder.

May gently lay across his chest, making sure she wouldn't hurt him, and then, for the first time that day, she relaxed. She hugged his arm and decided that she wasn't comfortable where she was. Well, she was comfortable physically, but her heart wanted something more, she didn't know why. "Um… Bren? I know the bed's small but… can I lay next to you?"

"Like you have to ask," he grinned as he shifted, giving May some space on the mattress. Like a little animal burrowing in the winter, May snuggled in beside him in the covers, breathing a sigh of relaxation. She held his hand, it was cold. She put it in between her hands and said: "If only your hands were as warm as your heart, Bren." This made him smile. He was exhausted; the hours of battling had taken their toll on him. But now, he felt peace. The pain didn't, it really couldn't, bother him. Being with May was almost surreal; she completed him. They were always there for each other, and they would always give anything up for each other. He found it funny how nervous and uneasy he used to feel around her; it was never out of disgust but the fear that if he told her how he felt, she would leave him, and in his heart, he knew that he would rather be her friend forever than a nobody after a rejection. That day when he saved her from the Aqua Grunt, the day she finally told him what he wanted to tell her, he was enamored: he never thought that someone as perfect as May would take a liking, a loving, towards him. It made him smile, a smile of gratefulness and joy that the person beside him was with him now and would, if he was lucky, be there for the rest of his life.

May noticed Brendan's smile. She snuggled a little closer as she asked him, "What's

the big grin about Mister? Never held a girl's hand before?"

"Oh, I've held girl's hands, all right? Just that I've usually wanted to let them go as

fast as I could." May blushed and let out a little giggle.

"You know," she began, "the doctor said you'd be here a few hours anyway, so…"

"So?"

"So, after we became a couple things between us became so clear. Everything was just… I don't even have to explain I guess because you know just as well what I mean. But before that I-I guess that w-we—"

"I knew that you were more than just a crush when you were a little sad that I

wouldn't join you on your journey. I felt… bad. I felt bad because I saw your face and I knew

that I would die to make it smile. If you weren't there, I would have never wanted to go on a

journey or catch a single Pokémon, so I knew that there was something… about you. After that it only became clearer. When we were on route 101 together, when we battled, when we looked at the sunset before we went to Rustborough, I knew that I wanted to be with you… for as long as I could, May. I tried hard, so hard, to tell you that I loved you. But I was scared: scared that if you said no I would lose you forever. Remember when you stood on the hill to Rustborough and asked me if you or the sunset looked better?" May's eyes suddenly lit up as she recalled the past. "I said you were more beautiful. I said that you were the one I wanted to be with. But I said it quietly; you didn't hear me. Even when you said that you had a "boyfriend" in front of everybody at the contest, I knew that was my best chance. Yet I was afraid to reveal how much you meant to me. I knew I wanted to be with you, especially after what nurse Bethany said to me about you and I looking like a pair. I wanted to tell her, the whole world really, that I liked you… more than a friend. But I couldn't: I just blushed and told her that you and I were 'just friends'".

"I remember that, Bren," May instantly replied.

"Remember what?"

"You talking to Nurse Bethany, I remember that?"

"B-But how? You were over by the caf—"

"I wasn't. I was in the lavatory, but the walls weren't thick so your conversation was all I could hear," she replied. Brendan's eyes became wide with surprise and _a little_ bit of terror. She continued: "I cried, Bren. I cried." She sniffled a little and cleared her throat. "But I didn't know why. I didn't know why hearing the boy I had met less than a day ago saying that we were 'just friends' tore a hole in me. I didn't want to accept that you didn't like me that way. I wished that you would say that we really _were_ together; that I was yours." She paused, then she smiled. "But I guess we both wanted that to happen, didn't we?" Brendan tightened his grip over her hand. She quickly spoke, "Don't worry Bren. When you gave that Pokémon egg to me, when you said it was something that I should keep because it was important to you, I had hope that maybe you _did_ like me that way." She let out a smirk. "I guess you did the whole time."

Brendan turned to face her, even though the pain made him wince and he might have fallen off the bed altogether. This prompted May to turn to face him two, although her smaller stature and healthy condition made that an easy change. Their eyes locked as they looked at each other with loving intent. There was a comfortable silence until Brendan finally spoke: "What made you finally tell that boy you liked him," there was a slight pause, "more than 'just a friend'?"

May thought a little. "I always liked you, Bren, always more than a friend. Most boys… they just look at me like I'm just another girl to dream about. They just… I hate those kinds of boys. They never care about me, or how I feel, or what I'm capable of. I'm like a trophy to them. But you? You were different. When we went to the pond where I used to go to let my sorrows loose, you cared. You gave me a hug that told me that even though you met me several hours ago, you would care for me, help me be someone I couldn't have been by myself." Brendan put his arm across her and she snuggled closer, just an inch or two away from his face and warming his cold, ice-beamed body, up fast. "You and I, we're not like Wes and Rui," she stated.

"Whaddaya mean?"

"They're a couple all right. But they don't fuse like you and I. There's still some tension between them with Wes' hilarious intellectual shortcomings and Rui's intelligence and passion for beauty. Wes is still learning what it means to commit to something; you and I both saw what happened at the dance. But we something totally different. We'd do anything for each other and we _know_ that. It's like we can read each other's minds. We pushed aside Dylan and Lisia, two people that most other people would kill to be with, so we would never part. We've taken hits and falls for each other and it all feels natural; like that's the way we _want_ it to be. Maybe that's why everyone thought we were together before we ever confessed…" She moved a little closer to him, her face now an inch away from his. Brendan's eyes stared deeply into May's mesmerizingly blue ones, then their lips met in the between. She put her hands in his hair as she pulled him toward her. It was about a minute until they finally pulled back for air. She slid her hand over his heart and felt its beat. "What's the matter, Bren? Your heart's racing!"

"Being with you is just... electrifying."

May blushed. "Then would you like get shocked again?"

"Yes."

Brendan leaned in once again and this time they he kissed her like he would never see her again. They parted after a minute, heaving for air. He gazed into her eyes again. He wished it would never end, that he could lay next to her, hold her hand, and just _be_ with her.

That's when Brendan's Pokenav went off. A slow flute played a relaxing and sentimental melody that encapsulated the peaceful and loving mood in the air, they could have fallen asleep to the soothing tune had Brendan not tried to turn it off. **(Author's Note: it's the Littleroot Theme)**. "Sorry, May. It must have played music by accident. I was listening to this when I went to sleep that night at your house: the night I ran away."

"I can see why. That music is so nice, it'll put you to sleep in an instant. Leave it on; I like it."

And so they lay on their sides, looking into each others faces, holding hands, and drifting to a peaceful place as the music played in the background. Brendan closed his eyes for a while, imaging a beautiful future: one where he and May would hold hands on porch, looking out into the patch of green where two little children played with their Pokémon. He remembered what Steven had said about him and May at Fortee. Steven had called May his "step daughter-in-law" on accident, but Brendan hoped that the statement would be right sometime in the future. He opened his eyes as his daydream came to a close, wanting to see May and her beautiful face again.

May had tears in her eyes. Like little pearls glistening in her sea-blue eyes, her face was deepened and depressed. But seeing Brendan opened his eyes, she quickly wiped her own and smiled. But it didn't take Brendan much thinking to know what was in her mind: something was wrong.

"May? Is something wrong? It's OK if something is; you can tell me."

"Oh, uh, nothing's wrong," she sniffled a little. "It's fine, really."

"May, I know something's not right. Don't hide how you feel about something. Whatever it is, we promised each other we'd go through it together."

"Trust me, Bren. It can wait."

"Well I can't. I know something's bugging you and I can't let it stay that way." He held her hand tenderly and then rustled his hand through her soft, brunette hair. Unlike her puppydog eyes, his effortless smile and reassuring face seemed to get other people, especially smitten girls like May, to do what he asked.

She let her guard down; it was Brendan, after all; she needed to tell him. He of all people deserved to know. "It's Norman."

Brendan's expression suddenly grew fierce: "He's gone May. He'll never bother you again. I promise. You have _nothing_ to fear about him."

"You don't know, Bren." Her face began to contort as she began to sob; she could barely open her eyes through the tears now. "He's escaped. Someone broke him out."

 **Author's Note: Short Chapter, but I hope it delivered. Ok, so I went all emotional on this one. I know it has its flaws, but I've never been in, well, a relationship, so I'm just makin' this stuff up as I run… 0 idea what it's really like. If you have criticisms, PLEASE PM them because that's the only way I can know how to improve this content. And, as usual, see you next Saturday!**

 **P.S. Future Chapters are going to have a balance of plot, shipping, and action. Don't forget to vote on the poll everybody.**


	4. Chapter 54: Escalation

**Author's Note: So far, we have seen Brendan be his teenage self. The same can be said of May. This is what ORAS sort of expects them to be, but because they are 15 and not 10 like the game has them be, I'm going to ramp up the maturity and some masculine factor. Nothing raunchy and** ** _definitely_** **no lemons, what I mean is that I want Brendan to be more battle-hardened, as the son of an abusive father would be. In other words, he's going to be more of a man than a squirmy boy. Everything you like about him so far will** ** _stay_** **, but I will amplify some of the more noble and courageous virtues for dramatic effect. The first 5 chapters of this story will be connected by plot, but will have totally different forms of execution and development. They're all tests to see what you guys want and don't want. So vote on the polls and leave reviews to mold this story into something you want!**

Chapter 54: Escalation

"No, No, NO!" Brendan raged and the romantic tranquility that he and May had built suddenly shattered. He was holding on to sanity by a thread; she must have been joking.

"May, be serious. What are you _saying_?"

"Brendan, calm down, please; you're scaring me."

"I _am_ calm!" Brendan said, clearly trying to withhold the full extent of his power and rage. This man, Norman, he had tortured his mother and him for many years. But he had been dealt with, for all the damage he had done to them both and countless others. He and May had delivered swift vengeance and cut his ruthless ambitions and carnage as they began to take hold of more lives. The evidence against him was mountainous; _Steven_ himself said that Norman had a trial and was sentenced for life. How could he return? But now a larger question loomed in his mind: "Why didn't you tell me earlier, May? Why? This man wants me dead now. Have I not the right to know that he escaped and is on the prowl?"

May quivered a little; she thought had seen Brendan in his total fury before, but this… this was an entirely different Brendan. "Brendan, you almost _died_ a few hours ago. You fell from Latios after being hit by a Legendary Pokemon. I wanted to make sure you were safe; I wanted to care for you! I know this is important to you; if he hurt you then he hurt me too. But…"

"But what?" Brendan said, a little calmer now that he realized he was terrifying May.

"But I wanted to wait before I told you. Brendan, I wanted to make sure that you were ready and that you wouldn't run from the hospital in your weak condition."

"When did you plan on telling me?"

"I- I don't know. I wanted to tell you as soon as you felt better, but once I slept next to you…" she blushed, "I didn't want to hurt or disturb you."

Brendan sighed. His mind was still reeling from the news. He knew that Norman had connections around Hoenn; he would find them sooner or later. "How did you know May? Who told you this?"

May's eyes became teary and her throat choked as she began to speak: "While I carried you here, I got a transmission on your Pokenav."

 _Previously_

May was swiftly flying Brendan down to the hospital on her Latias. He was barley breathing and his body had become cold and almost lifeless. Occasionally, he would take a heaving breath and he would become limp again for sometime. By the time and Latias ran through the front doors, the few staff who had not evacuated quickly took Brendan in and began trying to keep him from slipping away. May at outside the operation theater, her vision blurred as she pushed any thought of his loss out of the way. "If he dies, it'll be my fault," she thought. "I let him do this. I should have stopped him when I had the chance: but I didn't. He called himself _expendable_. AND I LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THAT?!" she screamed in her head as she tore herself apart for risking Brendan's life. "He wasn't expendable! I loved him; I needed him... But I let him go!" Before she could berate herself any further, a small buzzing next to her seized her attention. It was Brendan's Pokenav; it had his mother's face and name on the screen. She activated the call and listened. A frantic voice on the other side, Caroline's, buzzed in.

"Brend-May? May! This is Caroline. Listen, d-dear. You don't have much time."

"Is something wrong, did you not make it to the bunker?"

"No, Norman is here, in the bunkers. Someone bailed him out. Another kid is with him. Th-they're searching for me… for Brendan. They've already beat someone here for not telling him where Brendan was. I-I don't have much time. You and Brendan: run. Be ready, once the legendries are gone and these bunkers let out, he'll come for Brendan."

"M-Miss Maple. I-I'll get hel—"

"Don't worry about me, dear. I'll do my best to be there for Brendan, even from the stars. Just take care of my boy, and tell him I loved him more than anything and anyone. Plea—"

"OI! Over there? Who you talkin' to?": a voice roared on the other side of the radio. Static killed the audio. May's fingers tightened over the Pokenav, her heart threatened to leap from her chest.

 _Present_

"Norman's out, then. But he doesn't know where we are and he can't leave the bunkers unless we take care of the legendary beasts. We definitely can't let them rampage Hoenn just to keep Norman at bay."

"Right. It's better for us to let him find us then go to him."

"But… what about mom?" Brendan said, his voice becoming fragile.

"She would never let you risk your life to save hers. It would waste the head-start she gave us. If we want her to be happy, then we have to do what she wants, right?" Brendan nodded. "I suggest we start with the step one: you'll make a full recovery in about an hour according to the doctor."

"We don't have an hour."

"Well, you did when I was kissing you," she said, trying to lighten the intensity of the situation. It didn't work.

"I didn't know I was being hunted then…" he said as his expression faded into sadness. May noticed, and seeing him like this urged her to do something, and she did.

She held his hand in hers, looked deeply into his eyes, and said "Brendan, we can't be brought down by what happened. There was nothing we could do to stop it. The best we can do now is fix what happened, and we are more than capable of doing that. You're not alone; I'll do whatever it takes to help you, because you're more than a boyfriend. You're the person I love most. I owe you that much, right?"

"Yeah, you do," Brendan said as the weight began to remove from the room. "Let's fix this whole mess, starting now, May."

"Now? How? You're too weak! You'll die if you leave the hospital!"

"May, that was an ice-beam not a missile. Besides, you kiss did fire me up a bit." May blushed and tried to hide putting her hands on her cheeks.

"You don't have to hide your blushing. It makes you cuter," he laughed. May's redness just deepened. Brendan held up his hand, cold and pale, it seemed as though it was covered in frost. It was. "B-Bren. Y-Your hand!? _HOW_ on Earth do you plan on battling Groudon and Kyogre again with that?"

"I don't," Brendan said in a gruff, confident voice. He lifted his hand, which was in a coiled, frozen fist, and uncoiled his fingers from pinky to thumb as the sound of shattering ice and cracking bones filled the quiet room. He then rotated his shoulders and twisted his arm, as more of the frost built up on top began to crack and fall off. May watched in awe. _This_ Brendan she had never seen, simply using raw power to break through things. Brendan noticed her gaping as he felt the senses come back to his arm. "I told you your kiss gave me some heat."

"Maybe I should keep doing that. It looks like it also gives you superpowers," she joked. Brendan got up to leave, May held his backpack to him and he slipped it on as he slid into his shoes. He felt ready, but something was missing. He padded his pockets and then checked his bag pockets. Empty.

"Where are my Pokémon?" he said, his voice imbued with concern and fear.

"Don't worry Bren. All of your Pokémon are with the nurse. I healed them while you were out."

"Oh. Thanks," he said as his chest released the built up fear and pressure. May walked out of the room first, followed by Brendan. The nurse at the reception desk watched in awe, this boy _was_ the one hit by the ice-beam, right? His arm was coated in frost. She had seen it herself. But here he was, walking and talking to his girlfriend as though nothing had happened.

"Sir, you have to rest for at least another hour. You arm must heal. We gave you anti-freeze potion so I'm sure you should suffer no damage. But I'm afraid it could be gravely injured if you lea—" Brendan simply raised his hand. It was still pale, but the ice and frost had clearly been broken off.

"Thanks for the potion, I broke the frost without the bite."

The nurse's eyes widened in disbelief. "Uh-I-Uh. Ok. I-uh- need to take your pulse. I need to make sure you can leave."

"Ok, go right ahead."

She removed something from the drawer in front of her and walked around the counter towards Brendan, placing the stethoscope on his chest. She then placed her hands on his wrist and began measuring a pulse while hearing his breathing and beat. "Everything seems in order. Can you make a fist?" Brendan made a fist, cracking his knuckles as his fingers closed. "Can you snap?" Brendan snapped. "Flex your fingers." Brendan moved his fingers around in a wave. "A-Alright. You're good to go then. Y-your P-Pokémon are in the room over that way," she said, pointing towards a room that had double glass doors and metal handles. Brendan and May walked over, opened the doors and looked inside. It was almost like a closet. But it was only filled with boxes, Pokeballs, and names. Brendan and May walked down the isles of boxes, looking for their name.

"Ballen, Bane, Banks, Bannner, Bort… wait a minute. There! Birch! Brendan I got 'em."

"Perfect. Brendan put all of the Pokeballs in his pocket, but he stopped to pick two out again. They shook in his hands, as one popped open right after the other. Sceptile and Gallade looked at Brendan with intense hate. "Uh, guys? It's me Brendan. Come on…" Then they both tackled him, nearly knocking over an entire row of boxes. "OOF!" Brendan exhaled as he hit the floor.  
"Bren!" May screamed but before she could move, Gardevoir jumped out of May's pokeball and picked Gallade and Sceptile up with her Psychic powers. Gallade and Sceptile were still wriggling, trying to get at Brendan. Gardevoir set them down, and the other two Pokémon had finally cooled down. May knew what was coming, and she quickly whipped out her pokenav to translate what the Pokémon would say. There was an unexpected silence.

Gallade spoke first. "MASTER BRENDAN, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? WHY WOULD YOU EVER GO TO BATTLE LIKE THAT? YOU HAVE US! WHAT WOULD WE DO IF YOU DIED?" he screamed. Sceptile nodded in firm agreement. "Well, I'm sure May would have taken wonderful care of you," Brendan replied.

"Uh-uh, don't drag me into this Bren, this is between you and the raging green Pokémon now," she said playfully.

"Aw, come on guys. I would have never died abandoning you guys." Sceptile and Gallade looked unperturbed. Brendan sighed, "All right, it'll never happen again, OK?" Sceptile and Gallade relaxed and smiled as both of them ran and hugged the person who was their best friend and had raised them with such kindness and care. Suddenly, Gallade was pulled back by a telekinetic force and landed in Gardevoir's waiting arms. She looked into Gallade's eyes and Gallade looked into hers. Then she dropped him with a resounding THUD. Brendan winced. Gallade quickly got up and dusted himself off.

"Gard, hey. Listen. It's still the same me. I still love you. So what's with the cold shoulder, then?" Gallade said.

"You promised me never to put yourself in danger again. I told you I would Moonblast you if you ever left me like that."

"They were just legendary Pokémon darling. Not more than I could—"

"Just _swear_ you'll never do that again. Swear on _me_ this time."

"What? Hey! That's no fair!"

"See what I mean?" Brendan said to Gallade, who gave him a death-stare in return as if to say "Don't even think about it, buddy."

"No compromises. _Swear_ that you'll never—" She didn't get to finish her sentence as Gallade pulled her into an embrace. Gardevoir had to oblige. She was the Embrace Pokémon, after all. "That counts as a yes, Gallade."

"This is an abusive relationship. Call PETA, Brendan." Gallade joked.

"Where to next, Mistress and Master?" Gardevoir asked.

"Mossdeep City. That's where Steven lives, right?" May answered.

"Right," Brendan replied.

"What if he and the league are still fighting Groudon and Kyogre?" May asked, understanding how the likely situation would play out.

"We'll fly on Latios and Latias. If they're still fighting them, we'll know right away. If they're not, we'll make a stop at Mossdeep and talk to Steven."

"Right. Do we tell Steven about… your mother?"

"No," Brendan said, and then he hesitated. "Maybe. I don't know. It depends on whether or not it will make the situation worse."

"Got it."

"Master Brendan. I'm confused. Why are we going to find Steven and what happened to Mistress Caroline?" Gallade asked.

"I'll explain on the way. For now, we have to move." Gallade nodded and all three Pokémon were returned to their pokeballs. Brendan and May dashed out of the hospital and released Latios and Latias. Latios looked sheepishly at Brendan.

"I'm sorry Master Brendan. I-it was an accident. I didn't mean to let my guard down like that. Please forgive my carelessness."

"You made the same mistake I did. It's fine. And it's not like I was able to protect you from that attack either, so there's no sense in you apologizing to me," Brendan reassuringly replied. He mounted the Eon Pokémon and rubbed it under its neck and chin, earning a happy chirp from the blue dragon. "Alright, we have to get to Sootopolis. Now."

Latios and Latias cooed loudly as they each began to propel from the ground, racing towards to the massive grey crater that loomed in the ocean of Hoenn.

 **Author's note: Short chapter, I'll admit. But the thing is, I needed to conveniently (and shamelessly) introduce a new plot thread and character line without a lot of effort, so this is the spliced and stitched and somewhat shaky result. I promise that this'll be the last of this stuff: from now on, good 'ol Brendan and May doing good 'ol ORAS things in a super-cool plot. You know what?**


End file.
